A tall glass of health

A tall glass of plain low-fat yogurt has more calcium than milk. It provides 25 per cent of your daily calcium requirement. The yogurt is rich in protein and has lots of vitamins and minerals. It has no added sugar, helping you watch your weight. Yorghurt packaging with a label reading ‘live and active cultures’, means it contains probiotics. These are helpful bacteria that help in digestion and protect your digestive tract. Some fruit or crunchy whole-grain cereal in it would make great taste.

Olive oil a day!

Yes! A tea spoonful of olive oil a day is healthy for you. Antonio Capurso, Professor of Gerontology at the University of Bari says that olive oil is a powerful antioxidant, which, in particular, appears to prevent colon cancer. It contributes to ideal child growth right from the foetal stage – physically and mentally.

Delicacies to keep off

■ Avoid vitamin A during pregnancy because it may cause damage to the embryo. Foods containing large amounts of vitamin A ‘include liver. It should therefore be eaten on occasional basis only.

■ Blue-veined cheeses, unpasteurized cheeses,and pate are also not recommended because of the possible risk of transmitting diseases like listeria.

■ Too much caffeine also cuts down the blood flow to the placenta, and you don’t want to do that because the baby won’t be getting as much oxygen and many nutrients.

‘Eating for two’ – watch the term

“I am eating for two” that has been a common line for many pregnant and lactating mums. According to researchers at the Cornell University Division of Nutrition in Ithaca and the Research Institute of Bassett Healthcare in Cooperstown in New York, women tend to get obese during pregnancy. In their study, 38 women, who were not obese in early pregnancy, had become so by the end of pregnancy.

Then once your baby arrives, you are likely to gain extra kilos with each coming child and year -earning your way into obesity; which exposes you to the likes of diabetes, high blood pressure and even heart diseases.

Shedding weight gained during pregnancy has proven to be a task, to most mothers. And if you don’t breastfeed, the challenge is even greater.

So think twice before reaching out for that second helping of mashed potatoes, chocolate milk shake, “nyama choma” and extra slices of cheese because obesity looms on the horizon.

Instead of the normal three meals a day, eat bits of rich wholesome food in intervals. Continue with your exercises too – unless your doctor tells you otherwise.

END: PG47/25-26